Hi Everyone, time for me to throw in my 2 cents again. I'll start from the most recent posts and go from there.

Brina, my experience and from what I've been told there are 2 main factors on sore toes and black toe nails from running. One is form, the other is your shoes. If your running form has you hitting the ground too hard or whipping your foot down after a heel strike your toes will take a beating. This is made much worse over long courses like a HM. The easy way to think of it is that when your foot hits the ground all the pressure builds up to the front and has nowhere to go so you get bruising, typically under the nails. My race back on April 29 had a massive downhill and I tried to stride it out to make up time for the massive climb I'd just finished. I was getting so much friction in my shoes from my socks sliding forward in the shoes my feet were super hot and add in the long strides required hard landings made for some sore feet after the race. My second toe on the right foot has just about recoverd from the black nail I was rewarded with. I prefer my medal and t-shirt though... Now for the shoes. Your feet tend to swell on long runs so typically I buy shoes half to 1 size bigger to allow for it. I get less black nails because there's room now and I'm not squishing everything for hours at a time.

Penny, here's a link to a thread I started on wetsuits for the triathlon forum: http://community.active.com/thread/146531. Getting into triathlons it's good info. As for changing a tire, here's a nutshell version. Use tire levers to get the tire off, slightly inflate the new inner tube, then use your hands to get the tire back on the rim. Do NOT use the levers to get the tire back on because you're very likely to ruin the new tube. Fully inflate once it's all together again. To help find problems in your tires line up the valve stem with the label on the tire. Then when you find a hole you'll know where to look to find the problem. I've only recently picked up a box pouch for the bike on a clearance but haven't really used it yet. I've always kept my food in my jersey pockets. Tri shorts are nice because they use a different pad so you're not sitting on a wet sponge after you finish the swim. Yes, you have to pick up a few new toys but they tend to last a while and you'll love the fun you get from them.

I spent last weekend helping out at races. Saturday was a HM up Mt. Evans which starts at 10,400 feet and ends up at 14,200 so it's not your average hill climb. I drove a shuttle van and did general help on the course but was happy to be in the van when the weather packed in and we had horizontal snow and hail for an hour. Sunday was the Boulder Sprint, the first in the tri series. I was the run course aid station captain and was responsible for making it run smoothly for all 1300 participants. It was fun helping everyone out, particularly the stragglers who were working so hard on a hot day to finish. I have a 10k run on Sunday that should be fun and it's close by so I'll probably ride my bike over. I can always call for a pickup if I spend too long in the sponsor's beer tent.

I thought the race was great. My only complaints were the weather (too humid) and the first mile being so narrow that there was no room to spread out. But since I had trained on the same course in similar weather conditions, I was totally prepared.

I painted my toenails earlier in the week so that I would just stop worrying about them. That seemed to do the trick. In fact, they didn't bother me at all until mile 12 or so. I got "fitted" for shoes by a running professional last year and was shocked that he gave me a size 1.5 up from what I normally wear. I don't think the shoes are the problem but maybe my socks are. They are moisture wicking, but the toe area seems extra thick (they might be more for workouts than running). I'm going to look at other options.

My goal was to finish in under 3 hours, and I did it!! My official time was 2:49:59. I love that it ends in 49:59 and not 50:01. Otherwise I probably would have beat myself up over those extra seconds. In fact, my husband surprised me by being at mile 13 instead of the finish. He was taking pictures then sprinting ahead to take more. I was actually slowing down just so he'd have time to take them. I would have been mad at myself for slowing down if the time was different. Glad it didn't matter.

I'm hoping to do the same event with my sister next year. I really thought it was well organized and all the volunteers were great. I love that it was a women only event too. Can't wait for my next race (whatever that may be).

Great job Jeanine! I really enjoyed the race as well. And I agree, the heat was pretty much unbearable! I'm not use to running in that heat for that distance. I use to live in Altanta, but the longest race I ran was a 10K. The first 3-4 miles had the sun out, so it was pretty hot. Once the clouds came out I was okay, but around mile 10, the sun came back out and I could feel it. I made it a point to stop at every water station for water and gatorade and even poured water directly on me but my mouth still felt dry. Around mile 11 I was beginning to feel a little dizzy, so I did a jog/walk to the finish line.

My official time was 2:36:51. I wanted to get under 2:30, but I'm okay with the 2:36. I'll have to do what you did next time and try to train using the course if possible. At least this way, I would know the course and know what to expect.

My toes were a little sore, but not much, thank goodness. I did feel a little burning sensation under my feet around 10.5 miles. I think that might have been due to the pounding in the heat.

I am looking forward to my next half, I'll make sure I can train better and not during the summer heat!

Hello, I have been lurking here reading posts.. I used to run all the time, did several 5ks, and five 1/2 marathons.. My dh runs too. I just got back into it this year, I am back up to 5-6 mile runs and finally getting back to a 10 minute mile on good days.. I want to do the Army 10 miler in October. I do not have a bib but my husbands work has a team and there are going to be a few bibs open and I will get one of them..

I am just wondering if anyone else will be running this?

Also what is the C25K I see posted?

One of the reasons I stopped running was because I was having terrible pain in my hip, my doctor told

me I had arthiritis, it got worse so I stopped. I was at the Marine Corps marathon expo as my dh was running it and a booth there was set up with this roller thingy,, he used it on my calves and I almost cried from the pain, he said if I used it till the pain went away I would be back to running, well I bought it and used it almost everynight,, and finally all the bumps in my calves went away and I am running again and so far no hip problems. I am hoping to get some more races in. Sorry to be so long winded but just thought I would let anyone know about that gadget.. (oh , I dont have arthritis, it was just very tight calves)

It's a beginners running program for people who have never run before, or haven't been active in a while. It starts with short running intervals. It's the program I used to start running last year. I have it on my signature to remind me when I started running. And my first 5k was my "graduation" from the C25K program.

Welcome Brenda! Keep us posted on your training plans and progress. Folks must be very busy or posting on another thread because traffic here has slowed for the moment but I've really enjoyed everyone's comments and received some excellent advice and support here while training for my HMs.

Going into fall HM training and am at least a week behind. Worried about my nagging knee and how much family demands will interfere with any commitment I make. Think I'm going to first try working with Scott's running group because it doesn't cost $$. He keeps encouraging me and I don't know why he'd want someone he sees at work to be at his runs but maybe there's a reason, like him being somewhere where he can be faster and better or being able to show off his new girlfriend(s). He can have either or both. It's not a problem as long as I can connect with folks and get some coaching and work the training into my schedule.

I finally find some time to reply to your messages. It is a busy summer....

Thanks, Jeanine, for your soap box talk :-))) and your input about weight. Congratulations on losing so much weight, too!!! Well, you are right, 3-4 pounds shouldn't make too much of a difference... to me it does though.... those pounds do show in my belly fat.... and honestly I just feel better around 142/143 lbs.... luckily I did lose some weight now on a road trip. I couldn't run but hiked a lot and due to the fact that food was not very good - my body just doesn't do well with restaurant food, fast food and all of that (luckily there was Subway most of the time, plus lots of fruits and healthy snacks, plus I had brought self-baked bread - that saved many breakfasts ;-) ) as I am used to a very healthy diet. Speaking of diets and food, I am having a very healthy diet overall and there is not much to change about it in the sense of leaving out unhealthy foods. But I will look up the book you recommended!

Regarding my workouts, I did have that powerful phase where I had that fast pace when running up to 4 miles. Then my hormonal phase hit me.... this is always bad as it totally affects my performance, I often feel without energy and/or weak during that time.And I am not speaking of a few days here, it often impacts me up to two weeks of the month! I often only can run shorter distances. I am trying to get this treated by my acupuncturist, hopefully it will work. Those past two weeks I didn't do too much running due to being busy, and being on the road trip. Yesterday I finally ran again - a nice 6+1 run at the beach for 4.7 miles, my longest run post-injury. Speaking of my hip injury, I finally got discharged by PT :-) My hip is healed well, the only issue I still have a bit is a tight IT band (totally can feel it in my left thigh), I am trying to roll it out with my foam roller and do all the exercises my PT had prescribed me. Otherwise I am happy and hoping to increase my mileage soon.

Mary Kay, thanks for the speed demon :-)))) Yes, at that time I was really fast.... lately rather slow (yesterday a pace of 11min per mile on 4.7 miles, but hey I did the 6+1, plus it was warm weather) than fast.... weird thing is that although for a while my runs on shorter distances (up to 4 miles) were stronger, better, and faster for a while I didn't feel strong at all. Sometimes my legs even would feel weak.... and I would feel anything but strong. Not sure if it is a physical thing or a mental block! So far I have been running in my neighborhood (for the shorter runs) and it gets really boring esp as I wasn't allowed to run hills yet, so I was stuck on pretty much the same route. Yesterday I finally went running at the beach, much better!

Penny, I will be careful not to overdo things.... I do not want to be injured again! Oh and Baby Kahuna - two weeks ago I went to my favorite town in the mountains and spent the weekend there. I went mountain biking, ti was an amazing day bike riding in some wonderful and picturesque canyon and the mountains. Awesome! The second day there I went on a spectacular hike high up in the mountains. A fantastic weekend! :-) I also went bike riding with Baby Kahuna on the beach board walk those past weeks, a totally different experience. I liked it! I was more focusing on going really fast and that was fun! :-)

Regarding the HM in November, I hope I will get there! Being at 4.7miles it still seems to far away! Can anyone recommend good training plans? When I first started training for the HM pre-injury I never used one and didn't feel like wanting to use one... now as I still don't feel like a successful runner I think it might make sense to motivate me more and to train the right way. I cannot use one with lots of cross training though.

I hope everybody is well and would love to hear from you guys! Seems that everybody is really busy this summer!

I completely hear you on feeling strong at times and then weak when hormones hit. I too feel that way around my cycle. I read an article on Dara Torres recently. She commented on having to tell her trainer to ease up on her training during and around her period because her body doesn't recover as quickly. Interesting, especially for those of us around our 40s. I feel like this had something to do with me pushing too hard in training for my HM and not easing up during around those hormonal times. I just hurt my hip flexor and took off last week of running because of the pain. I beat myself up for it a little bit, but I am feeling a little better. I think I pushed too hard too fast (with distance and hills) and then couldn't recover quickly enough. Hoping to be back on track for my HM in October. But, I understand where you are coming from as I am around the same milage as you are now.

As for the training....I picked up a book Non Runners Marathon Trainer at Amazon. I love this book and training plan....very motivational for anyone at any age.

Britta - looks like you and baby kahuna are doing great. Fresh mountain air and beautiful scenery, you and baby kahuna can go on forever. check Hal Higdon and runner's world basic training plans online. They are free or you can order a more comprehensive program too.

Mtrunner - we are in the same boat, 2-3 days before my period starts, my legs feel heavier, gets fatigued more easily, and everything seems more difficult from breathing to even doing a slow jog. But soon thereafter even on my third day of my period, things start getting easier.

Andy - Thanks for the link. Right now, I am enjoying my Tri training particularly swimming. Doing 1.5 km right now though at a regular pool. Tried open water one weekend which was a nice change. No black line to follow, got disoriented a bit but got to practice on keeping calm in the deeper part.

As for race goals, I am scheduled to run a HM on sept 23, then a sprint Tri on oct 13 if I remain injury- free. I alternate weeks for running, then another week for Tri. Not sure if this plan is correct. Got to do brick training, cycling then run. My legs just felt weird for the first 5-7 minutes. It was like my legs were still doing the circular motion of cycling on the ground. Just felt different. There are some days that it is so hard to get up early in morning to squeeze an hour of workout.

Btw, got to watch running the sahara. It is a documentary of 3 men who run the sahara desert for 110 days. If you can get a copy of this film, try to see it. It is very inspiring.

I started training about 3 weeks ago for my first 1/2 and I'm about 4 weeks out (Aug 11). I have always been an athlete, but the endurance/distance stuff is amazing. I have been able to reach my goals with a progressive training plan, Asics NEO-GEL33's and freshly uploaded iPod full of music. As I type this, I am getting read to log 6 miles with a long day of 11 miles on Saturday...wish me luck!

MountainRunner, thanks for your input... I always do slow down my training during those hormonal times... I just would not (or only rarely was) be able to run my regular long runs during that time. It is just that I have no energy, i have very heavy legs, I feel weak etc. during that time. This time around I went to acupuncture three times and it did the trick! Hardly any PMS, almost no cramping and nothing too bad overall... but still I felt weak. I only could run a 1.7 mile run and a 2 mile run during that time. But at least it was much better than usual!

Penny, thanks for the advice about the training plan. I printed out the Novice 1 plan and it seems to be the right one. It is weird I was so far ahead in my training in February and now although being back at running I still seem to struggle. Even the novice 1 plan seems to be a struggle!

MM2U, good luck for your training for the HM! How did your 11 mile run go?

Update: Good news overall is that I am pain free and have no more hip problems. :-) Also this week I officially started my HM training :-)))) And I also finally lost that weight that bothered me - for some reason I all of a sudden lost a lot of weight in one month - about 5-7 lbs... And I do have to say, it makes me feel better, it is such a difference to me!

Only thing that bothers me at the moment is that my running feels weak and not strong and that I seem to struggle with it a bit. I have to say though I couldn't run as regularly as I used to as I had my dad visiting and we were constantly busy (although I went walking and hiking a lot). Also I am suspecting that the weight loss might make me feel weaker? And I definitely have to pick up the exercises again that my PT had prescribed me.

Question about the training plan... can I replace some of the runs with bike riding? As long as I am still on summer break I would love to do more bike riding as I won't be able to do so after school starts again.

Britta, I'd actually advise you to take advantage of your swings in energy levels. It will be much better for you to have some time off from heavy exercise because most training plans will build you up but at the same time you're getting stronger you're also wearing yourself down. The nagging injuries we get are because of this and adding in some extra recovery time will go a long ways towards stopping these. Don't feel you have to keep doing more each week, it really isn't required.

The 10k run I last mentioned was a wild day out. I hadn't done much for about 5 weeks to get over my pair of HM's and I had a cold too which had slowed me down for 2 weeks. I figured I'd just do what felt 'not too strenuous' and enjoy the run. I was stunned when I reached the 3 mile mark in 25 minutes while feeling I was cruising. I thought my watch was wrong. Then the fun started because the course wasn't marked right and most of us ran way too far so it ended up being a 8 miler instead. I didn't mind but after 5 weeks of not working out I was faster than when I'd had to stop. The side effect was that my right ankle started aching again which has been a nagging injury since the half ironman last year. So now I'm letting it recover while doing low impact therapy before my olympic distance triathlon on Sunday. After that race I'm going to focus more on the bike which brings me to your question.

Cycling will help your running in several ways. It will strengthen several lower leg and foot muscles that will help prevent shin splints and planar fascitis(the tendon in the arch of the foot). It will also be good cardio work which is universal for all exercises. Feel free to add in some rides or replace some runs. If running is your main focus then a ride or 2 each week will certainly help and are ideal for your weeks when you don't or can't run much. I intend to let my cycling help rehab that ankle over the rest of the summer while enjoying it too.

MM2U, it sounds like you're all set so keep us up to date on your great results. I use Asics Kayano 17's for my long runs.

Penny, you'll do fine at your tri. You're right about the open water swimming being very different. The trick of navigating by popping your head up every few strokes is made easier if you're still close by the other racers. Try to look for tall landmarks too, they tend to be the best references.

Mary, you're going to have an awesome set of race results this year! 4 weeks between races is good but I wouldn't work too hard during that time either. The way you're going you'll sail through them and collect more hardware at the finish for your collection.

So, keep up the great work everyone and we can keep inspiring each other to more great personal achievements.

Andy, I definitely will listen to my body and adapt to it during my training while at the same time trying to follow the training plan. Yesterday I was supposed to run 4 miles, but I decided to go bike riding with a friend. This bike ride - mostly along the beach in the flat, but also partly riding through LA including hills - turned out a record ride..... 45 miles altogether! :-) Of course those 45 miles were spread out throughout the day, sometimes riding at a faster pace, sometimes at a normal pace - also with 2 stops for 'fueling'... but oh wow, 45 miles - I could not believe it! And I loved it! That was quite something. :-) Luckily I am not really sore today (how is THAT possible, LOL), last night at the end of the bike ride my legs were very much in pain (the area above my knee) for the last 2 remaining miles and I hardly could walk afterwards. Miraculously I am not sore at all today, I feel a bit my groins (after having been painfree for several weeks) but that's about it. Today is supposed to be a stretch/strengthen day, tomorrow a 3 mile run is waiting for me.

I have to admit I really love bike riding now!

I hope your ankle will be healing soon! A what a great 8 mile run! How did the triathlon go?

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